ViCAP, Part 2: The Highway Serial Killings Initiative

"More than a decade ago, analysts for the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP)—the only national database of serial crimes—began to see a marked increase in the number of bodies recovered along the side of the road. A majority of the victims were truck-stop prostitutes, and it turned out that many of the suspects were long-haul truckers. (While long-haul trucking is an honorable profession and the overwhelming majority of drivers are not murderers—it does happen, and the pattern is unmistakable.)..."
Highway serial killings

SPENDING AND FUNDING FOR HIGHWAYS
"The nation's network of highways plays a vital role in the U.S. economy; private commercial activity and people's daily lives depend on that transportation infrastructure. In 2007, the public sector spent $146 billion to build, operate, and maintain highways in the United States. About three-quarters of that total was provided by state and local governments. One-quarter was provided by the federal government, primarily through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The initial authorization for that law has expired; as the Congress considers the future role of the federal government in providing highway infrastructure, it faces three important questions: how to structure decisionmaking about highway projects, how much money to spend on highways, and how to pay for that spending..."

Federal Highway Administration Proposes Revision of Rules to Make Roadway Markings Brighter
"To further improve roadway safety by making pavement markings brighter and easier to see,
Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez today proposed to establish the first-ever standards for maintaining the reflectivity of centerlines, lane lines and edge lines on all roads used by the public.

"Safety is our highest priority," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "When adopted, new standards can help make our roads and bridges safer by making them easier to navigate."

The proposed new standard would come through a revision to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) since 1971 as the national standard for traffic signs, pavement markings, signals and any other devices used to regulate, warn or guide traffic.

Properly maintained reflective pavement markings improve highway safety and prevent roadway departure crashes by making the markings easier to see. Reflective properties deteriorate over time, requiring regular maintenance to assure that pavement markings can be seen clearly at night..."

Status of the Highway Trust Fund
The U.S. Department of Transportation's report of the status of the highway trust fund.